We’ve Launched Our Instagram!
Moving into our new office space last month wasn’t the only exciting thing we had going on at Commercial Web Services! We also officially launched our own Instagram account, which you can follow via the button below!
Launching our Instagram account wasn’t something we just decided to do one day and then created it right away. There was a whole strategy and process that went into creating our account. We’ve listed out some of the key steps we took below in case you’re thinking of doing the same!
Evaluating the Benefits of an Account
Everyone’s first step in creating an account on a new social platform should start with evaluating how the platform could potentially benefit your business. For Instagram in particular, the platform gives a digital face to your brand through imagery. This “face” helps your customer get to know you and your product in a unique way that connects to people differently than other platforms. As Hubspot perfectly described it, “great brands use Instagram to share images that create genuine connections between their products, and the hopes and ambitions of their followers.”
Deciding What Story to Tell
It’s not enough nowadays to simply post pictures of your product. Creating a story behind the images will captivate and resonate the most with your audience and keep them engaged long-term. Creating a “story” that appeals to the emotions or desires of your audience will ultimately be what keeps them scrolling through your feed. Hubspot recommends that if you tick one of the following five categories, you’ll be sure to create a story that interests your audience.
- Timely or topical: post about an upcoming event that connects to your following
- Trending: post the type of content that is currently trending on Instagram
- Original: post unique and imaginative content to set yourself apart
- Snackable: post content that is easily digestable while your followers scroll their feeds
- Actionable: include a call-to-action in your post, directing your followers to like, share, or comment on your image
Choose an Instagram Theme
A consistent characteristic among successful Instagram accounts is a cohesive look and feel throughout all the imagery posted. Whether you decide to go with a clean and minimalistic look or a bold and colorful one, consistency is key here so that followers immediately recognize your brand when scrolling through their feeds. It will also help you determine which filters you should use when posting your photos. Here are some samples of different types of themes that brands have stuck to for their photos.
Balancing Your Feed
Once you’ve made it through the first few steps, take a look at the images you plan to post and whether your feed will feel balanced. What we mean by “balancing” is that the group of images together looks uniform. A good element to help you determine whether your feed is balanced is looking at the “busyness” of the photos. This means looking at the level of detail in the photo you’re currently posting and comparing it to the detail in your previous photos. Here’s a great example of an account that has a balanced feed.
Takeaway
Everyone is on Instagram, so you should should make one for your business right? Wrong. Creating and managing an Instagram account may seem like any easy task, but a lot more strategy goes into it than it seems. With the platform becoming a more competitive space for brands, strategizing around how you can attract and hold the attention of your audience compared to your competitors is essential.
Want to learn more about boosting your dealership’s overall social media presence online? Contact us at marketing@commercialwebservices.com to hear more about our social media management services.